Ferros saw Colonel Stepfyn Villanov arriving at the Temple and ran over to greet him. It had been a few years since she'd seen him, and she was only a Padawan back then. Mostly he was assigned to the more troubled posts throughout the Republic, and was required to stay for months, if not years at a time. His expertise had been brought to the Republic's attention early on in the war, when he was stationed at Bilbringi. Since then he had been asked to assist with the establishment, retraining and redesign of many strongholds and their soldiers over the years. He tired of his new role eventually though, and had put in a request to be assigned to a new infantry role, which was granted to him, along with a promotion from Commander to Colonel for his invaluable service.
"Well hello there, gorgeous," he grinned happily. "It's been far too long. You're a young woman now! Where's the time gone, eh?"
Ferros wrapped her arms around Villanov and gave him an almighty squeeze.
"It's so good to see you again, Commander," she squealed.
"Careful!" he mock coughed. "Any tighter and I might have you court martialled for assaulting a Colonel."
"Colonel?" she looked up at him with surprise. "Congratulations on your promotion, then." She playfully punched his arm. "Any idea what's going on here, Stepfyn?"
"None at all," he admitted as Ferros released him, overemphasising his ability to breathe with several unnecessarily deep breaths. "I was told by my old CO that I was being transferred for an assignment that was 'worthy of my talents', and that I should report to the OPC at the Jedi Temple. That's all they told me."
"If they need both you and me and a Jedi Master, then it must be a pretty important mission."
"I think we all know you could do it by yourself, little Ferry-girl," Villanov winked. "But I'll humour them with my presence anyway."
The two of them proceeded to the southeast spire, the Tower of Reconciliation, where the Operations Planning Centre was. Ferros looked Villanov up and down as they walked, noting that his uniform looked different from what she was used to seeing on Republic soldiers and officers.
"I dunno either," Villanov smirked, seemingly reading her mind. "I was given this uniform to wear just before I left and told it would be explained to me after I arrived. You like it?"
Ferros nodded brusquely. "I hope I get something like that too. I'd make it look hot."
Villanov laughed curtly. "Don't distract my men too much though, will you?"
The uniform consisted of black and dark green military camouflage trousers, black knee-high boots, matching camouflage shirt and a black utility vest. Ferros was already thinking of ways to modify it to her liking, and hoping that her status as a Jedi General would mean the strict uniform rules wouldn't apply as much to her as it did to the soldiers and officers.
As they exited the refurbished turbolift, another female Jedi appeared and squealed even louder and girlier than Ferros had moments before. She bolted over and hugged Villanov with both arms and legs, almost knocking him to the ground in the process.
"You Jedi women are ruthless," he chuckled as Ashlyn's momentum forced him to back into the wall.
"It's been such a long time!" Ashlyn squeaked with excitement, untangling herself from the Colonel. "I was wondering if we'd ever get to see you back here on Coruscant ever again. It seems like you've been all over the galaxy, always parsecs and parsecs away from anywhere the Jedi go."
"I requested a transfer because I was disgusted by the lack of Jedi in my life," Villanov lied, a cheeky smile on his face.
"Aww, that's sweet," Ashlyn cooed, stroking his face with her palm mockingly before slapping it lightly a few times. "Come on then, let's plan the best attack ever."
Ferros herself was very excited. She hadn't had a chance to work with her old master since being promoted to Jedi Knight, and was thrilled at Villanov's presence too. She was only ten years old at the time, but she remembered the Battle of Pyria vividly, and she knew that Villanov's efforts were instrumental to their success. Without him, Master Talus may very well have perished that day.
Ashlyn, Stepfyn and Ferros walked over to the holoprojector, which brought up an image of a planet which appeared to be mostly water, pockmarked with smallish land masses that would be about the size of enormous islands on any other world. Almost the entire planet appeared to be tropical, with only the poles covered in ice.
"Brave move," Villanov nodded his approval. "Very brave move. I'll say it: it's a brilliant move."
"If we can pull it off," Ferros added soberly. "With Bilbringi abandoned and the shipyards destroyed, they've been using it as a waypoint in Bilbringi's place. It's pretty heavily fortified."
"That's where I come in," came a booming, gruff, lordly Commenorian accented voice from behind them. "I believe my assistance has been requested, much to your good fortune, may I say."
The man looked deadly serious. He had a stiff, militaristic look about him, and a completely grey flat-top hairstyle and bushy moustache to complete the look. He was also dressed in an immaculate dark green Admiral's uniform. He was well over six feet tall, perhaps six foot four, and was reasonably solid.
Ashlyn and Ferros looked the man up and down for a few moments, then the man began laughing. "Fleet Admiral Willem Jellener, at your service, ladies and…some soldier fellow. Not sure what he's doing here."
Villanov began laughing too then, before crisply saluting the Admiral, followed by a vigorous, manly handshake.
"Terrific to see you again, sir," Villanov grinned.
"Likewise, old friend. This shall be like old times, when we were marooned together on Felucia, of all places."
"We won't have to live off the local produce for as long this time, hopefully," Villanov replied.
"That we shan't, Stepfyn, old boy. That we shan't." He turned his attention to the two Jedi then. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure," he smiled warmly, like a grandfather, then issued another millimetre-perfect salute.
Ashlyn and Ferros smiled to each other, then did their best salutes for the Admiral, although they were clearly unpractised, not being military.
"Jedi Master Ashlyn Valos. This is Jedi Knight Ferros Hekla," Ashlyn introduced them both.
"Ah, Valos and Hekla," he shook both girls hands, one after the other. "I've heard tales of your exploits, ladies. It's truly a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Masters Talus and Rokanh both speak very highly of you both, as does Chancellor Golan. I was very pleased when I was informed that we would be working together on this mission. I look forward to seeing the results of your considerable talents for myself on the field of battle."
"We won't disappoint you, Admiral," Ferros smiled.
"Oh, I'm certain you won't," Jellener chuckled. "Now, let's plan this battle of ours, shall we?"
Ashlyn picked a remote control up from beside the holoprojector and pushed a button, replacing the image of the planet with a view of the entire system.
"As you can see, our target is Glee Anselm. As you all no doubt know already, it's a heavily fortified world that the Chiss have been using as a waypoint in place of Bilbringi," the Togruta began. "Our part of the mission is to secure Pieralos, the capital, and relieve it of their Chiss and most likely Sith commanders. Once we've done that, more ground forces will be despatched to mop up the rest. Admiral?"
Jellener stood forward then and cleared his throat.
"We are in charge of the advance forces," he said. "This attack will proceed in two parts: a naval attack on their space defences, led by myself, and a ground force led by Generals Valos and Hekla.
"Scouts have informed me that their forces in space are centred around one large Annihilation-class dreadnaught and three Carnage-class frigates. They also have an estimated six full squadrons of fighters at their disposal."
"On the ground, they have a minor presence on the planet everywhere except for Pieralos, where the bulk of their forces are stationed," Ashlyn explained. "I think the ground forces should concentrate on their communications first before Admiral Jellener's fleet gets within scanning range. After that, we head straight for the centre of the capital and take out their head."
"If I may," Ferros interrupted, "what size force are we talking about here?"
"We'll have a small battalion of three-hundred troops for the advance force, then a larger battalion of a thousand for the second wave," Ashlyn answered.
"Three hundred is a pretty big advance force," Villanov said.
"We should split it up," Ferros suggested. "There's no point having two Jedi and a celebrated field officer like Villanov here if we're just gonna charge straight in. The Chiss rule the capital; they'll box us in too easily if we aren't careful."
"What do you suggest?" Ashlyn asked.
"Split it into five groups – three companies and two squads of commandos. Have the commandos head in first and take out comms and scanners."
Ashlyn zoomed in the holodisplay, bringing up the Glee Anselm capital of Pieralos, which took up almost all of one of Glee Anselm's islands. The bulk of the capital's structures seemed to be concentrated towards the north-eastern area.
"I see," Ashlyn nodded, then pointed towards the more concentrated area. "Then have companies A, B and C attack from the north-west, north-east and south-east of here while the commando squads go to work?"
"Yep," Ferros smiled. "If it's so heavily fortified, it'll be best for us to sneak in and do what we need to do in smaller groups first before we let the rest of the troops in. That way, once their comms and scanners are down we can surround their government building from those three directions while the two squads form up and infiltrate it together."
"I like it," Villanov said, folding his arms across his chest and nodding his approval. "So the two squads go in ahead, and call in the main force once comms and scanners are down?"
"Right," Ferros replied.
Ashlyn highlighted three places within the city on the projection. One was designated green and was almost exactly on the north-eastern border of the city, one was red and located slightly east of the green building, the other was marked in blue and was a short distance to the south.
"This is the communications hub," she pointed to the red building. "It's probably got a standard complement of Chiss soldiers and some laser batteries. We need to disable the comms, not destroy them, 'cause they're not Chiss-built. Everything they're using once belonged to the Nautolans; the Chiss only commandeered it. Some collateral is to be expected, but we need to minimise damage if we can. The Nautolans will probably want it back.
"The blue building is where the Nautolans built their scanners. Again, minimise collateral. Once they're both down, leave some troops behind to guard them, then proceed to the green building, which is their centre of government. Our sources tell us that the Chiss are using it as the centre of operations, and it will be heavily guarded."
"Any Sith?" Villanov asked.
"No word on that," Ashlyn said with more than a hint of disappointment. "My guess is that they'll definitely have one there, and he won't be weak. He might even be a Dark Council member, given how important the planet is to them."
"Would it not be easier and more surprising to simply bomb all three places?" Jellener asked. "The Republic can fund and help build them again once we're done, but if surprise is our best ally, then surely a quick strike would benefit us? My pilots are the best, and I'd be more than happy to have them assist you."
"It would be quicker and easier, Admiral, yes," Ashlyn nodded. "But too costly, and unnecessary. The Republic can't afford to devote precious resources to rebuilding too much on these planets when we take them back. Of course, there'll be some rebuilding to do regardless, but if we can minimise how much of it there is, it'll be better for both the Republic and the Nautolans."
"What about the AD towers? Will they be a problem for us?" Jellener stroked his bushy grey moustache as he spoke.
"Probably not," Ashlyn answered. "Creo, our chief engineer at the Jedi Temple, has fitted some of the landing craft with the same stealth tech that our Jedi X-Wings have. That should give us the freedom to land the advance force without being noticed, then once we take out their scanners they won't see the main force coming anyway, so there'll be no need for secrecy."
"They're not Nautolan though, are they?"
"No, those AD towers were built by the Chiss. We don't mind if you take those out, Admiral," Ashlyn told him with a grin.
"Very well, I shall have two bomber pilots assigned to their destruction as soon as the order comes through for the main force to be despatched," Jellener smiled happily, clearly relishing in any chance he got to destroy something the Chiss or Sith had built.
"What about our space forces?" Villanov asked. "What do we have at our disposal?"
"The entire First Fleet, old boy," Jellener grinned beneath his thick moustache. "One Lucrative-class battleship, one Infiltrator-class frigate, two Fluid-class Calamari cruisers, and the Showstopper, which is a Corellian Interdictor. Oh and ten squadrons of the Republic's finest."
"That's a lot of firepower!" Ferros exclaimed with an eager grin.
"The First Fleet do not mess around with children's toys like the Chiss do, young General Hekla. Being Mandalorian, I'm sure you understand the need to bring proper weapons into battle. The Solar Wind has seen battle many times, and has always brought about a victory for the Republic. So it shall again this time."
"Our plan is a sound one," Ashlyn said. "Is there anything anyone would like to add before we submit it to Admiral Minvessen?"
Nobody spoke up at first. Every one of them agreed that the plan was solid. Only after a few moments did Villanov say something.
"As long as there aren't many surprises waiting for us, I think we'll be fine. We're bringing enough firepower to pulverise the whole planet and the Chiss forces."
"Speaking of surprises," Ferros added, "we should all agree to keep this plan under wraps. No telling anyone except the Chancellor, Admiral Minvessen and the Jedi."
"Agreed," they all chorused.
"I must say, young Jedi Knights," Jellener smiled warmly. "I am very impressed with the both of you so far. Your planning skills are formidable. Why, when I was your age, young Master Valos, I was still learning how to land a fighter in a hangar without crashing into it! And when I was your age, Jedi Hekla, I believe I had absolutely no idea what a navy even was!"
The two girls chuckled with the old Admiral. He had an infectious laugh and a kindly face that matched perfectly with it.
"You're too kind, Admiral," Ashlyn smiled, curtsying politely along with Ferros.
"The Jedi teach manners too! So rare these days in so many young people. I'm glad it has not yet been entirely erased from our culture."
The Admiral stiffened his posture and gave a crisp, firm salute.
"Good day, ladies," he said with another warm smile, then turned to Villanov and saluted him as well. "And good day to you too, young Stepfyn. A pleasure to see you again."
"And you," Villanov smiled and saluted in return.
The Admiral turned and left via the turbolift as Ashlyn shut off the holoprojector. She turned around and looked at Villanov carefully then, eyeing him up and down just as Ferros had.
"The uniform looks good. The camouflage looks a lot nicer than the plain old black ones."
"I was told that it'd be explained to me when I arrived, but Admiral Jellener left before I got a chance to ask him," Villanov replied.
Ashlyn smiled at him. "That's because I'm the one in charge of it. Special Forces always looked a bit drab and boring, and I figured a bit of camouflage might be good too."
"Special Forces?" Villanov asked, unaware of what she was insinuating.
She smiled at him again, and this time chuckled a little too. "Your reassignment," she began. "You requested for a transfer to a more active infantry role. I'm the Jedi Battlemaster, and part of that role includes managing Special Forces ops for the Republic Army. I specifically requested that you be made one of the new commanding officers, second only to the Jedi Generals and Admiral Minvessen himself. You're now an equivalent rank to our other long-time friend Colonel Kryss, who is also a part of Special Forces."
"I am?" Villanov grinned ecstatically, then composed himself. "I mean, thankyou ma'am. I will uphold this position to the very best of my ability. You will not regret this decision, you have my word."
"Your word isn't necessary, Colonel," Ashlyn grinned wryly. "I know what you're capable of, and I know how much you deserve this position. That's why I specifically requested you. There are hundreds of other Colonels serving the Republic Army who were literally begging for this opportunity, and none of them would be too impressed if they found out that a lowly Commander was promoted specifically for it. But none of that matters. You're one of the very best, and I know you'll make us all proud."
"May I speak freely, ma'am?" Villanov asked. He'd fallen back into strict military protocol as soon as Ashlyn had admitted that she was in charge of Special Forces.
"Of course, Stepfyn," she laughed. "You're in Special Forces now. It's your platoon. You're in charge of it. You can run it however you want. Technically, the Jedi aren't a part of the Army anyway, so there's not really any need for military protocol here. I might be in charge of managing and co-ordinating the use of Special Forces along with Admiral Minvessen, but it's your platoon to command and run however you see fit."
"This is such a massive honour, I really wasn't expecting it at all, ma'am-"
"Ashlyn," she corrected. "Or Master Valos, or Hot Togruta Girl, whatever you want as long as it isn't mean," she smiled.
"HTG, then," he chuckled. "Thankyou very much, I won't forget this. And the uniform looks great. It feels strong too. What's it made of?"
"It's some sort of new material some Republic scientists have created that absorbs and dissipates energy from blaster fire. It's as light and strong as anything regular-issue as well. Be careful though, it won't stand up to more than a few stray shots at a time. If it gets overloaded you'll still get blaster burns."
"Really?" Ferros asked. "Can I try it?"
Ashlyn handed Ferros a holdout blaster, a devious smile forming on her face.
"Hold still, Stepfyn," Ferros grinned, taking aim at his chest.
"Whoa, wait! WAIT!" he shouted as Ferros fired.
The blaster bolt struck him in the chest and sent him stumbling backwards a few paces, but left no mark at all. The energy seems to crackle and fizz at it struck, then promptly disappeared.
"Check it out," Ashlyn insisted, unbuttoning Stepfyn's shirt and pulling back. "No burn."
"Wow, that's incredible!" he gasped. "I mean, it hurt when it hit, but it was like being pushed backwards by someone with really small hands. Not being pierced by a fire stoker like normal. I'm staggered."
"At the moment it's just a trial," Ashlyn told him. "They gave them to me because I gave Minvessen my very best 'poor little girl' look. So be grateful."
"I'm sure he was really reluctant, too," Ferros sniggered. "Why didn't you just sit on his lap and nibble on his ear?"
Ashlyn blushed a little, more through shame than embarrassment. "'Cause if I'd done that, he would have made them standard issue and then asked me out afterwards. I don't necessarily enjoy doing that sort of thing, but I wanted those uniforms."
"Rubbish," Ferros cackled. "You loved it."
Villanov stood still, doing his best not to take sides, until Ferros elbowed him sharply, trying to coax him onto hers.
"She knows Jake's keen on her. She used him," Ferros laughed.
"I didn't!" Ashlyn protested. "I just did what was necessary to get those uniforms for Special Forces."
"I guess presenting a valid argument stating that Special Forces might get themselves into some nasty scrapes where the new uniforms might be necessary for increased survival odds would have been completely unnecessary."
"Okay fine!" Ashlyn crossed her arms, trying her best to look upset. "It was quicker and easier to do it this way. But you can shut up Ferry-girl, or I'll tell Colonel Villanov all about the 'valid argument' you presented to Senator Serluss' son to convince him that the Republic Navy could use his company's new shielding technology."
Ferros' face went even redder than Ashlyn's skin. "That was totally different! He was going to-"
Ashlyn cut her off with a grin. "Serluss' son was considering an offer from the Chiss against his father's wishes, and we were called in to investigate claims from Kuat that they were war profiteering."
"I remember hearing about that," Villanov nodded, choosing his words carefully.
"Serluss took a liking to Ferry, and she insisted that seducing him was the only way to ensure he did the right thing. Despite that she was only fifteen years old at the time."
"It worked, didn't it?" Ferros argued.
"So did my acquisition of the new uniforms tech," Ashlyn smiled wryly.
Villanov shook his head and chuckled. "Now presumably you're going to present a 'valid argument' to me about how you'll both need your own uniforms."
Ashlyn's wry grin turned into a self-assured one.
"No need for that, I've already got some made up for us."
She disappeared into an annex and returned with both arms full of clothing. She held up several pieces. Ferros' eyes lit up and she examined the uniform, holding them up against her body.
"There's no vest," Villanov commented. "And the shirts have no sleeves…and, they look kind of short to me. Are they the right size?"
"I had them made especially for us, so they're definitely the right size," Ashlyn said. "You'll see soon enough. We'll leave pretty much as soon as Jake approves the battle plan."
"How will no sleeves protect you?" Villanov questioned her. "Isn't the whole point of these uniforms that they stop blaster burns?"
"Soldiers don't have lightsabers. Plus, we might be Jedi, but we're still girls. We can wear anything we want, 'cause we aren't military. I'm not going anywhere looking all scruffy with loose pants and bulky vests."
"Can I take these with me right now?" Ferros asked. "I wanna try them on and see what the younglings all think."
"Sure, they're yours," Ashlyn told her.
"This is a very drastic change of scenery from what I'm used to," Villanov laughed. "I'm looking forward to this. I forgot what young girls can be like."
"Hey, we might be young girls," Ferros frowned mockingly, "but we're still your superiors, mate."
Runice, Devin and Kayla were on their way to one of Coruscant's many entertainment districts when Kayla's secure holocom signalled an incoming call. It was the one that Admiral Minvessen had given her to communicate securely with Colonel Brellin Kryss while he was on Mandalore investigating the gauntlet Byz and Ferros had found. Kayla answered it and Colonel Kryss appeared as a small hologram.
"Masters," he bowed. "I have news for you from Mandalore."
Kryss looked at Kayla and Runice suspiciously then, his eyes drawn to their chests, then back up to their faces.
"Why are you dressed like that? I can see your…you know…"
Runice immediately adjusted her cleavage to make it more obvious, having gotten used to being a bit of a tease during her younger days as a pirate, and never growing out of it.
"Eyes up, soldier," she mocked. "We're about to go out for the night, that's all."
"Sorry, ma'am," he chuckled. "You both look great. Very sexy, if I may say so. Devin…not so much."
"I'll remember that, Colonel," Devin grinned.
"Anyway, it seems that Mandalore's not around at the moment, so I've been in touch with General Gregor of Clan Kinseth. Apparently he's in charge while Mandalore is out scouting for scattered Mandalorian clans to recruit to the cause."
"Scattered clans?" Devin asked. "I thought the Mandalorians had been united for some time?"
"So did I, Dev. General Kinseth says there are still some working as mercenaries in the Outer Rim, and he's out searching for them to strengthen our numbers."
Despite his many years of service to the Republic Army, Kryss still considered himself a true Mandalorian, and never referred to the Mandalorians in third person where he was directly involved. In fact, he still spoke to his niece and nephew, Ferros and Gavin Hekla, in Mando'a whenever he saw them.
"It's been very difficult to investigate anything," he continued. "Mandalorians are very patriotic, and trying to find a potential traitor is very worrying to them. Everyone is more than happy to help identify who it may be, but they're all so staunchly one-eyed about being Mandalorian that nobody is a suspect. Furthermore, the gauntlet is as Ferry says: three generations of armour out of production. Nobody can identify who it belongs to, but they all agree it was somebody very high up the chain of command."
"What about Kinseth? He's assumed command of the Mandalorian forces while Mandalore's away, is there a chance he might be working with the Sith?" Devin asked.
"Not even a remote chance," Kryss shook his head vehemently. "Clan Kinseth are among our most honoured. They have fought bravely and sacrificed much in the name of Mandalore. Their only concern is for honour. Gregor was very reluctant to even take over Mandalore's post, as he felt it brought him too far from battle."
"What about those scattered clans you mentioned?" Kayla asked. "Could someone have fabricated that information to get him to leave?"
"It's possible, but everyone I've spoken to says he left of his own accord. Nobody else had any hard evidence that any Mandalorians were still working as mercenaries anywhere. As far as we all knew, we were all united under one banner. Of course, it's not necessarily anyone else's business either."
"That's brought us to a bit of a dead-end," Runice sighed disappointedly. "Keep searching, Brellin. Someone found those Holocrons and brought them to the Sith. Even rumours would be useful to us. And try to find out as much as you can about Mandalore's movements. There's something not right about that."
"Very good," Kryss bowed. "I'll report back soon. And invite me out with you when I get back. You all look sober. I think you've forgotten how to drink like a Mandalorian."
Kryss grinned and winked at Runice as the connection terminated. Kayla sighed as she turned the holocom off.
"Well, that was disappointing," she muttered.
"We're supposed to be forgetting about official business tonight, remember?" Runice said, grabbing their hands. "Brellin knows what he's doing. If there's any evidence the Mandalorians are behind any of this, he'll find it. So stop worrying! Let's go already!"
Ferros sat in the same spot she'd been only a bit over a standard week ago, on top of the Jedi Temple ziggurat, before being sent to Korriban with Byz. Byz had now been in the bacta tank for two days, and while his badly burnt, bruised and cut body was well on its way to a full recovery it was still far from perfect. She knew he'd be alright, but she worried anyway. She tried to absent-mindedly watch the younglings training at telekinesis with Master Hriyek, but her thoughts always returned to Byz floating in the tank.
She was waiting for word from Admiral Minvessen that the plan she'd helped develop was approved and the forces could deploy to Glee Anselm, but it seemed to be taking longer than expected, and the downtime had caused her thoughts to stray. She didn't want to spend the time meditating, as she thought that would probably make her think about Byz even more, and decided to watch the younglings training to take her mind off things. It hadn't worked, and a few of the older boys in the group had noticed her watching them, dressed in her new modified Special Forces uniform. As a consequence, the objects they were attempting to levitate had dropped to the floor with several loud thuds, and they were admonished by Master Hriyek.
As the Jedi Master turned in the direction of the distraction, she realised quickly that it was Ferros and waved her over. Ferros, grateful for the interruption, approached them at a casual pace.
"You three seem to have taken an unusual amount of interest in Master Hekla," the Twi'lek said mock-seriously, drawing a small giggle from the female Jedi Padawans.
Ferros smiled as the boys – aged about fourteen or fifteen years old – began to blush slightly and avoid eye contact with her.
"You need to learn to keep your focus, despite anything that may be a distraction," Liina instructed. "Even pretty girls. Do you think the Sith won't try similar tactics?"
"No, master," the three boys chorused.
"Maybe Master Hekla could show us how it's done properly?" suggested a younger girl, who looked about ten or eleven years old. It was the same girl Ferros had been watching last time she'd been here.
The group of younglings started expressing their agreement.
"Go on," Liina urged her. "You've done this heaps of times. It's the one with the three stones."
Ferros remembered this exercise vividly. The idea was to hold two large stones – several kilograms each – while flinging a third, larger stone as hard and accurately as possible into a target painted on a wall. She'd been quite good at it, and decided to give the young Jedi hopefuls something to remember. She grinned slightly as she hefted the three stones with the Force.
She raised the two smaller stones and began twirling them above her head in a circle, getting faster and faster until they were nearly a blur, then sent the third stone sailing through the air at an impossible speed, straight into the centre of the bullseye, leaving an impression in the very middle. Most of the younglings all cheered loudly, except the three older boys who still perfectly still, their jaws dropped and dripping saliva as if they'd been hit with a stun bolt. Master Hriyek clapped and smiled.
"And that's how it's done," she said to the whole group. "That's what you all need to be aiming for. Keep practising, everyone. I want to see some bullseyes by the end of the day."
The younglings all lined up again and took it in turns, with the three older boys going first. Liina approached Ferros as she watched the first of the boys make his attempt. He held the two smaller stones in the air and began to make them spin in a circle as Ferros had done, resulting in the third stone spraying wildly off to the side and missing the target completely.
"It's amazing how much they look up to you," Liina said.
"It wasn't that long ago that I was one of them, chucking stones into walls," Ferros reflected.
"That's why they look up to you," Liina chuckled. "Even those three," she gestured at the three older boys. The second boy was having a turn now, and the two smaller stones he was levitating dropped to the ground as soon as he started aiming the third.
Ferros laughed. "I'm not sure they're looking up to me for my ability with the Force, Master Liina."
"Of course they are," the Twi'lek replied. "They're just interested in your…other assets as well. They're teenage boys, remember?"
"I'm a teenage girl, how could I forget?"
The two giggled as the third boy tried and failed to hit the target, then the younger girl Ferros had been watching stepped up.
"Watch this one," Liina smiled. "She just keeps getting better and better. This is the third group I've put her in just in the last four weeks. You know those three boys?"
Ferros nodded.
"She's about to humiliate them."
The girl confidently lifted the smaller stones with her hands, then floated them above her head, making them dance about as if they were puppets. A few of the students gasped a little. The larger third stone began to rise then, and the girl turned around to face Liina and Ferros. She waved to them happily as the third stone was sent crashing in to the centre of the bullseye and the two smaller stones dropped heavily to the ground.
"Wow," Ferros said with some shock. "She certainly knows how to make a statement."
Liina waved her over, and the young girl happily approached them, her sandy-blonde ponytail swaying left to right. She bowed politely to them.
"Hello Masters," she smiled. "What can I do for you?"
"Ferry, this is Curstenn Lellynd. Cursty, this is Ferros Hekla."
"It's ever so nice to meet you, Master Hekla," the younger girl curtsied, speaking in a very strong Coruscanti accent.
"Why did you feel it necessary to wave to us?" Liina asked her. "Do you know how you made those three boys feel?"
The girl stood her ground, not looking even slightly remorseful. "Probably jealous," she shrugged. "They would have done just as well if they weren't busy staring at Master Hekla." Curstenn put her hands on her hips then. "I wasn't trying to make them look bad, I just wanted you both to see that I can do it."
"Oh don't worry about that," Ferros laughed. "I saw it. I was very impressed. You're coming along very nicely."
The girl grinned widely. "Really? Thankyou very much, Master."
"You're not in any trouble or anything, Cursty," Liina smiled down at her. "I just wanted you to meet Master Hekla, that's all. You can go back over now. Maybe help out the others for a little while until I'm finished talking to Ferry."
Liina smiled and placed a hand on Ferros' shoulder as the girl happily bounded back over to the group. "There's little more I can teach her," she said. "She's been through all the different groups now, and she's surpassed all of them. She needs a master of her own."
"You really think I'm ready for that?"
Liina chuckled and looked away, forming the words to her next comment in her mind before speaking them.
"You had a very good teacher," she said. "And she had a very good teacher as well. Your training was a little combat-focused for my liking, but you've come a very long way since you arrived here with Xander and your brother. You're an extraordinary Jedi, Ferry. Defeating a Dark Council member only a couple of months after becoming a full Jedi Knight is something unheard of. It's part of the reason why all these younglings look up to you so much."
Liina sat down and gestured to the spot next to her, inviting Ferros to sit down as well.
"Some Jedi might never take on an apprentice, and yet some Jedi will have multiple apprentices. I guess some just have a different calling," the Twi'lek shrugged. "I knew as soon as I met you, Xander and your brother that teaching the next generation of Jedi Knights was what I needed to do. What I wanted to do."
"You haven't answered my question though," Ferros observed.
Liina let out a little laugh. "Haven't I?"
Ferros then realised that Liina had known all along that Ferros wanted an apprentice, and had only been gently suggesting that she already had all she needed.
"Now you're getting it," Liina smiled. "It's up to you what you end up doing, and you already know what I think."
Ferros turned her attention back to little Cursty, who was showing one of the older boys how to keep their concentration. The boy then mastered the exercise, hitting very near the bullseye while the other two stones remained levitated.
"I can't do anything much right now," Ferros admitted.
"I understand you're off to Glee Anselm shortly and you can't really take a new Padawan with you. After that, there'll be plenty of time though."
Ferros tossed the idea around in her head for a few moments, trying to decide whether or not to commit to it, then decided overthinking it was a bad idea.
"Alright then, why not? I'll take her on as my apprentice."
Liina squealed happily and started clapping. "You two are gonna be such good friends, I can't wait to tell her. The look on that cute little face of hers-"
"Ready to go, Ferry?"
The two Jedi spun around and saw Ashlyn standing behind them, also dressed in her new Special Forces uniform. Liina shook her head.
"Those poor Padawans…" she giggled. "The boys already started drooling when Ferry turned up, now you arrive in the same outfit…their tongues are gonna fall out. Anyway, I thought that stuff was meant to protect you from blaster burns."
"You're telling me?" Ashlyn put her hands on her hips, a big grin on her face. "Before you were a teacher, you were worse than Runice." She turned to Ferros. "I remember trying to sneak into a bar on Ansion once, and the bouncer wouldn't let us in because we were underage. Little Miss Teacher here decided the best way to get inside was to wear tiny shorts about this small," she said, using her hands to demonstrate, "and tiny little tops that our boobs almost popped out of. Of course he let us in then. We didn't even need the Force."
"I can't lie, you two both look pretty hot," Liina admitted. "But I was never as bad as Runice. Anyway, why the outfits? Those can't actually be standard issue, can they?"
Ashlyn giggled. "No, not exactly. I got Special Forces a new uniform, and I liked the way it looked so I had different ones made up for Ferry and I. Can you imagine Jake wearing this though?"
Liina burst out laughing, then shook her head and grimaced. "I think I just did…"
"I think we should go before this conversation gets any weirder," Ferros chuckled, getting to her feet and standing next to Ashlyn.
"You aren't exactly inspiring fear in me," Liina mocked, looking both girls up and down. "But I suppose someone has to make army fatigues look good."
Ashlyn struck a pose, and the same three Padawans again lost their concentration and dropped the stones they were levitating.
"You're distracting my students, you two," Liina laughed. "Get out of here already!"
"May the Force be with you," Ashlyn smiled to her old friend.